Durban – Four local fishermen were brought to safety and a seafarer was evacuated to hospital in two separate maritime incidents off the Durban coast on Friday and Saturday.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said the first incident occurred on Friday, 8 August, when a 33-year-old Filipino crew member aboard a bulk carrier required urgent medical evacuation.
According to NSRI Durban duty coxswain Lorenzo Taverna-Turisan, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) had alerted NSRI and Red Line ambulance services on Thursday evening to prepare for the operation.
The NSRI rescue craft Alick Rennie met the vessel at Fairway marker buoy, about 6 nautical miles offshore, in calm seas. A rescue paramedic and two Maritime Extrication (MEX) crew boarded the ship to assess the patient, who was in a stable condition.
The seafarer was secured with safety lines and transferred to the rescue craft before being taken to NSRI’s Durban Station 5 and transported by Red Line ambulance to hospital for further care.
On Saturday, 9 August, during a joint training exercise involving the SA Navy, SA Air Force, Transnet National Ports Authority, police and other agencies, NSRI crews diverted to assist four fishermen stranded in the Port of Durban after their vessel suffered motor mechanical failure.
NSRI Durban duty coxswain Benic van der Merwe said the Spirit of Surfski 6 rescue craft found the boat anchored and the crew unharmed. The vessel was towed back to its slipway without incident, and the fishermen required no further assistance.
The training exercise had earlier supported police divers in the ongoing search for a missing teenager at Wedge Beach.
Both operations were coordinated with the assistance of multiple agencies, including Port Health Authority, Police Sea Borderline Control and Telkom Maritime Radio Services.
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Picture: X/@NSRI
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
